1 James Tedesco: was handled better by Queensland than in game one but he was still dangerous with the ball and safe at the back. Lovely pass for Mitchell's second-half try. 7/10

2 Tom Trbojevic: defensive combination with James Roberts was tested early and found wanting. Still deserves plenty of credit for taking a mountain of tough carries in his own end. Was one of the best on ground in a frantic final 10 minutes. 7

3 Latrell Mitchell: quiet first half but exploded early in the second with powerful try and some big hits. Very poor error from a restart plus a defensive misread to hand Will Chambers a try which would have led to a lower score if his team had lost. 7

4 James Roberts: still question marks over his defence after the Maroons created plenty of space on his edge. Busier in attack than game one with four busts and nudging 100 metres. Will be remembered for a late professional foul that could have proved more costly than it did. 4.5

5 Josh Addo-Carr: conceded two costly penalties early. Produced a great try-saver on Gagai before missing the same man for a try shortly after. Wonderful footwork for team's first try. 6.5

6 James Maloney: not quite as rocks and diamonds as game one. Some lovely kicks including one to create crucial penalty try. Perfect off the tee with two sideline conversions which was crucial in a tight game. His composure in a tumultuous second half was vital. 8

7 Nathan Cleary: won't be in many more highlight reels than he was in game one but got through his kicks and tackles. Late cover tackle on Valentine Holmes was a thing of beauty. Did his job and should be in the role for a long time. 6.5

8 David Klemmer: first stint was classic Klemmer with some big charges but injury and sin bin dramas elsewhere in the team prevented coach Brad Fittler being able to get him back on the field. 5.5

9 Damien Cook: had nothing like the same platform to work from as in game one, particularly in the first half, but still chose his times to run well and did a mountain of defence with a team-high 42 tackles. Queensland had a much better plan for him this time. 7

10 Matt Prior: just three runs in his opening stint but defended solidly. The Blues lifted after he was replaced by Vaughan. Had an already-short second spell curtailed due to Roberts sin bin with Peachey called in. 5

1. Billy Slater: Made a huge difference for the Maroons. Had a hand in the opening try and was at his threatening best. Threw a forward pass in the second half but overall you couldn't fault him. 8/10

2. Valentine Holmes: Scored the opening try and made two line breaks. Chalked up 224 metres in a fine winger's effort. 7.5

3. Greg Inglis: Picked up where he left off in Origin I but better utilised in attack with the services of Slater. Finished the game with 199 metres from 19 carries in another fine captain's knock. 7.5

4. Will Chambers: Went over for a try in the second half to keep Queensland in it but was otherwise well contained by the Blues. Came up with a dangerous tackle late in the game then pulled off a terrible kick to kill off momentum. 6.5

5. Dane Gagai: Missed an early chance to score a try by centimetres but made no mistakes with Queensland's second. Helped get the Maroons out of trouble with every one of his 19 carries. 7

6. Cameron Munster: At his roaming best but a couple of poor kicking options let him down. 6.5

7. Ben Hunt: Not his night. Missed a tackle attempt on Josh Addo-Carr's try then backed it up with the penalty try effort on Boyd Cordner. Came up with an error in the second half and kicked the ball dead when Queensland had the Blues on the ropes and down 12 men. 5

8. Jarrod Wallace: Four runs for 43 metres in another short-stint. Hard to see him retained for game three. 4

9. Andrew McCullough: A tradesman-like performance with 46 tackles missing just one, but was limited in attack and failing to create anything. 7

10. Dylan Napa: Stronger performance up front but was only used for 35 minutes, needs to own the game in defence more. 6

11. Gavin Cooper: Got through plenty of work on the left edge in a typical back-rowers performance but hardly threatened the Blues in attack. 6.5

12. Felise Kaufusi: Looked dangerous early but could only manage three carries in the second half as the Maroons kept throwing the ball past him. 7

13. Josh McGuire: Lasted 51 minutes before being replaced. Apart from a few aggressive hits, was not at his usual best. 6

Interchange:

14. Kalyn Ponga: Oddly used in the middle by Kevin Walters but the move proved costly early with Ponga conceding a penalty and six-again call that led to Blues tries. Almost got Queensland home though with an otherwise promising debut once he was given room to move. 7.5

15. Josh Papalii: Only three runs in 31 minutes. Needs to produce more as the senior forward in the side. 5

16. Coen Hess: Poked his nose through the line in limited opportunity. Probably needs to start in game three on the left edge. 5

17. Jai Arrow: Got through plenty of work in a short spell, needs more minutes to show his ability to offload. 6

The queensland coaching is looking very suspect to me.
I'll be surprized if they have the same coaching group next year.
Ponga did the job they asked him to do - but using Ponga as a tackling dummy - what were they thinking?

Not as good as Game 1, but being able to win without playing great is something ill take any day of the week. Especially considering we we've been playing Queensland's game for the past 13 years and hoping to win 6-4 every time. Now I actually feel confident we can score guys if QLD get momentum and score because we are better on paper.

Standouts for NSW were Maloney, Tedesco, Cordner, do agree with the analysis that blokes like Vaughn coming off the bench made an immediate impact (start him Game 3?). Do not agree at all with Turbo's 7/10, he was closer to a 5. NSW were lucky they did not run at his side more. NSW's entire backrow as a unit was outstanding, can't say anyone played average. Fitler's plan worked to a tee.

QLD just had too many disappointing players. Hunt and Chambers made questionable decisions, I thought QLD's starting props were missing all game although afterwards I heard Napa only played 30 minutes because of a broken hand? Munster was also not fantastic. Kaufusi was a find for the QLD team, in both games. Arrow I thought deserved more then a 6. Other QLD forwards didn't make as much of an impact but I thought McCullough was better.

As good as Ponga ended up being that game and totally didn't look out of place, Kevvy butchered the tactics bringing him on. QLD were no where near as dominant.